Maraea te Waitoatoa Te Whaiti-Golias

Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Kāi Tahu, Rangitāne

I am privileged to have been raised and educated within my whānau, hapū and iwi and on my whenua in the Wairarapa. I have grown up immersed in te reo Māori and tikanga Māori at home and through kōhanga reo and Rūmaki Reo immersion primary school. I recognise the importance of mahi that serves Ngāi Māori and I knew that that was my future in some form. It was in high school that I became passionate about Māori health equity, and knew that I would serve our people through the medical profession. At the end of 2021 I was thrilled to be accepted into the University of Otago Medical School. Through my learning and profession I hope to directly contribute to our peoples’ health outcomes.